title: Multilocus sequence typing of Mycoplasma agalactiae.
abstract: Mycoplasma agalactiae is the main cause of contagious agalactia, a serious disease of sheep and goats, which has major clinical and economic impacts. We have developed a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme using the sequenced genomes of the M. agalactiae strains PG2 and 5632. An MLST scheme based on the genes gltX, metS, gyrB, tufA and dnaA was designed and in total 3468 bp of sequence were analysed for each strain. MLST offers a highly discriminatory typing method for M. agalactiae and was capable of subdividing 53 strains into 17 distinct sequence types, largely according to geographical origin. MLST detected unexpected diversity in recent isolates from Spain, identifying two novel outliers, and enabled typing of novel Mongolian isolates for the first time. Genetic diversity in the sequenced regions was largely due to mutation, with recombination playing a much smaller role. A web-accessible database has been set up for this MLST scheme for M. agalactiae: http://pubmlst.org/magalactiae/. MLST offers a robust, objective molecular epidemiological tool for M. agalactiae that that enables interlaboratory comparison of data.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McAuliffe
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gosney
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hlusek
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de León, 24071 León, Spain.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: de Garnica
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spergser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kargl
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bacteriology, Mycology and Hygiene, University of Veterinary Medicine, A-1210 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rosengarten
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Ayling
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
authors.forename: R A J
authors.initials: RAJ
authors.lastname: Nicholas
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Laboratories Agency (Weybridge), Woodham Lane, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 3NB, UK.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D006041:Goats; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology / Q000379:methods; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing / Q000379:methods*; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D045644:Mycoplasma agalactiae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D013030:Spain
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial